If there is one aspect of the mystery of Christ that has most profoundly affected me over this past season, it is undoubtedly the contemplation and study of the Trinity. For many years it was simply a doctrine of which I was aware (and rarely, if ever taught on), but I had missed the depth and richness of experientially knowing the triune God. In fact, I am convinced that it is not possible to know God rightly apart from the Trinity.

“I purposed to know nothing among you except Christ, and Him crucified.” (1 Cor 2:2)
For the early church, teaching on the cross was central. Christ’s crucifixion was understood in the context of the Incarnation. As I shared last week, it is a mistake to equate the Incarnation merely with the birth of Jesus; it embraces His whole life. In fact, Jesus is the Incarnation.

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” (Heb 1:3)
“This is how you can know God’s Spirit: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ came to earth as a human is from God” (1 Jn 4:2)

Increasingly, over the past few centuries, the evangelical church has (at least by implication) presented the Christ-story as beginning with the angelic appearances in the two opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel. It seems to me that this is an extension of the persistent impact of the rationalism of the Enlightenment.

Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.